Buying Options

[brained]

Hello Peeps!. I've got a bundle for a 23" LCD monitor (50 bucks) or a used 25" arcade monitor (dunno which kind of arcade monitor is) (80 bucks). I play mostly MAME but sometimes I go with snes or some other emulators I have around. I currently have a 21" CRT fixed up in my 25" dynamo cab. The monitor looks and works fine, but I would like something bigger.

Should I go through the hassle of getting an arcade monitor to work?
buy the LCD and get a scanline generator?
or just keep my current setup?

[twistedsymphony]

Assuming that LCD is widescreen, it's actually smaller (area wise) than the 21" CRT you're using now. (21" 4:3 has an image height of 12.625.... 23" 16:9 LCD has an image height of 11.25")

LCDs are easier to hook up and get running on a MAME setup, but in terms of picture quality and playability that 25" arcade monitor will be superior in just about every way.

In general CRTs used for MAME and classic consoles have:
-larger visible area for the same (diagonal) "size" screen
-correct aspect ratio
-native support for arcade and "classic" resolutions
-lower lag
-better contrast and colors
-better viewing angles
-CRT "quirks" (scan lines and bleeding) that the games were designed around to make the graphics look right


IMO if you're going through all the effort to build an arcade machine why short-change yourself with an inferior LCD just because it's cheaper/easier to install?

[yotsuya]

Yeah, go with the arcade monitor. 

[rCadeGaming]

Big time +1 to everything twisted symphony said, but I had to comment on this one.

In general CRTs used for MAME and classic consoles have:
-lower lag

CRT's don't have lower lag, they have NO lag.  They display the signal nearly instantaneously upon receiving it.  The only exception is a mid-late-2000's "hi-def" CRT or something like that that has some scaling and processing, but those are no good for MAME anyway, and they're usually 16:9 tubes.

[Sarver Systems]

Where are you getting a 23" LCD for $50?

[twistedsymphony]

Big time +1 to everything twisted symphony said, but I had to comment on this one.

In general CRTs used for MAME and classic consoles have:
-lower lag

CRT's don't have lower lag, they have NO lag.  They display the signal nearly instantaneously upon receiving it.  The only exception is a mid-late-2000's "hi-def" CRT or something like that that has some scaling and processing, but those are no good for MAME anyway, and they're usually 16:9 tubes.

if you're talking lag from the input connector on the display to the output on the screen then yes arcade CRTs have essentially "no lag" but if we're talking the output of your PC to the display on the screen, then there are situations where you may be forced to use some sort of video converter to make it compatible (like my situation where my OS and video card don't support Arcade resolution modlines) in which case using an arcade CRT, when considering the entire video mechanism, not just the display, there is some (albeit usually small) lag there...

Regardless you're just arguing semantics because "no lag" is still "lower lag" than "lag experienced by LCDs"

[brained]

Where are you getting a 23" LCD for $50?

Some friend was selling it used!

[brained]

You guys convinced me! I'll be getting the Arcade CRT

[rCadeGaming]

if you're talking lag from the input connector on the display to the output on the screen then yes arcade CRTs have essentially "no lag" but if we're talking the output of your PC to the display on the screen, then there are situations where you may be forced to use some sort of video converter to make it compatible (like my situation where my OS and video card don't support Arcade resolution modlines) in which case using an arcade CRT, when considering the entire video mechanism, not just the display, there is some (albeit usually small) lag there...

Regardless you're just arguing semantics because "no lag" is still "lower lag" than "lag experienced by LCDs"

Yes, I was referring to the time between the TV receiving the signal at its input and it be visible on the screen.  A proper transcoder doesn't create any lag either though, so most CRT MAME users can have basically zero lag between the signal coming out of the VGA output of the computer and it being visible on screen whether they're using an arcade monitor a TV.

In your case you're still lucky in terms of lag because Emotias are extremely fast.  I had trouble even measuring a significant amount of lag created by one using 240fps video, whereas an LCD is fairly easy to measure.  I don't exactly how they work, but it's much different than traditional scaling.

You guys convinced me! I'll be getting the Arcade CRT

Nice.